Laptop Handbook for Students and Parents Unity Christian High School 2012-2013
Table of Contents I. Goals II. Hardware and software A. In the bag B. On the laptop C. Back up and file storage D. Software support E. Troubleshooting III. Student and parent responsibilities A. Handling and care of the laptop B. Power management C. Transport D. Ethical and appropriate use E. Financial responsibility F. If laptop is lost, stolen, or damaged G. Monitoring and supervision H. Internet access at home I. Printing at home J. Personalization 1 to 1 Laptop Project Technology has become an increasingly critical tool to advance learning at Unity Christian in recent years. We see great potential for its use in the learning process as we seek to meet our mission: Proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord of all, the community of Unity Christian High School provides a Biblically based education to guide young people toward their commitment to serve both God and neighbor in all aspects of life. I. Goals: 1. Equip students to use technology to impact the world for Christ. 2. Teach students discernment and the ethical use of technology. 3. Improve the quality of student learning and academic achievement as they develop a new set of knowledge and skills for the future world of work. 4. Provide greater access to educational opportunities, formative assessments, and differentiated instruction by providing one to one access to laptops for students for anytime, anywhere learning. 5. Improve communication and widen our sense of community by expanding the way teachers, students, and parents are able to interact with each other. 6. Equip students to be life long learners. Page 2
If students do not adhere to the Unity Christian Technology Honor Code and the rules and guidelines in this handbook, the privilege to use their laptop may be restricted or eliminated. II. Hardware and software A. In the bag Apple Laptop with ID tags Power supply with ID tags Protective laptop case with ID tags B. On the laptop OS X Lion (10.7) the Operating System software (like Windows XP, Vista, 7) *Inspiration Graphic organizer ilife suite of multimedia tools including iphoto (photo organizing/editing), itunes (music/audio management), imovie (video editing), Garage Band (original music creation), iweb (website creation tool) iwork - Pages (desktop publishing), Keynote (presentations), Numbers (spreadsheets) Open Office (free Microsoft Office like suite of programs) *Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 (Photoshop,Acrobat Pro,Dreamweaver,Flash,Illustrator,InDesign) Safari and Google Chrome web browsers Google Earth planet s worth of imagery and geographic information Google SketchUp Pro 3D building environment Web based services Moodle, E-mail, Google and other collaboration tools. Dropbox a web service that lets you store and share your photos, docs, and videos easily. Eloquent Bible study software Evernote suite of software and services designed for notetaking and archiving. KoalaCalc is a scientific calculator MuseScore Music composition and notation software Logger Pro data-collection and analysis software Virus/Spyware protection none. Mac OS X is quite secure but students should still be cautious when downloading files or opening email attachments. * Software licensed exclusively to UCHS must be replaced with similar free versions when you leave Unity. C. Backup and file storage School related files in the Documents Folder and Desktop are automatically backed up to the web Using SugarSync anytime students are using their laptop with internet access. Internet access is not required to work on documents at home. Music Pictures and Movie files are not backed up automatically. We do provide access to Dropbox, a free web based backup location where students can backup small amounts of Music Pictures and Movies. Students with a large amounts of Music, Movies, and Pictures should purchase a personal storage device and use Time Machine to backup their files. The technology staff will assist students with setting up all personal backup solutions. Students need to keep 5 GB free on the hard drive at all times for optimal operation. D. Software support First avenue of support application s help system Second avenue of support contact a classmate Support and application tutorials are available via Atomic Learning: www.atomiclearning.com. Login with your Unity username and password. Ask any teacher or someone in the office for the username and password. Page 3
E. Troubleshooting The first step that solves most laptop problems is to restart the laptop. For further troubleshooting assistance, reference the Troubleshooting Guide found on the Unity web site under Technology 1 to 1 / Troubleshooting Guide or contact a classmate. If the problem is not resolved, the next step would be to submit a help ticket to the Unity Christian Online Support Center found on the Unity web site under Technology 1 to 1 / Online Support Center or at http://osticket.unity.pvt.k12.ia.us. If the problem persists, bring your laptop to room 110 or the Tech Support Office in the north hallway at Unity when you return to school. The laptop may require re-imaging or further hardware/software troubleshooting. A spare laptop will be available in the meantime if necessary. III. Student and parent responsibilities By allowing students to take their laptop home, families assume some risk. Parents/Guardians will be responsible for the deductible to replace/repair the laptop in the event of theft, loss, or damage due to intentional or unintentional abuse or misuse. A. Handling and care of the laptop Keep the laptop in its protective case. Use the laptop on a flat, stable surface. Do not set books on top of the laptop. Avoid carrying the laptop with the screen open. Be careful not to leave pencils, pens, or papers on the keyboard when closing the screen. Do not pick up the laptop by the screen. No food or drink around laptop. Wipe screen surfaces with a clean, dry, soft cloth. Avoid touching the screen with fingers, pens, or pencils. If hands are dirty, wash them before using laptop. Do not use the laptop in dusty or dirty environments. If the laptop has been in a cold car, allow several minutes for it to warm to room temperature before use. Do not leave the laptop exposed to direct sunlight or near any heat or moisture sources for extended periods of time. B. Power management It is the student s responsibility to recharge the laptop s battery so it is fully charged by the start of each school day. Close the screen to put the computer to sleep to extend battery life when not in use. Dimming the screen brightness also extends the battery life. All students are asked to carry their charger to school in case a recharge is necessary throughout the day. C. Transport The laptop should be transported in its protective case in shutdown (turned off) or sleep mode (screen closed). Do not leave laptop in a vehicle for extended periods of time or overnight. Do not leave laptop in visible sight when left in vehicle. Page 4
D. Ethical and appropriate use Students are expected to adhere to the Unity Christian Technology Honor Code which is available on the Unity web site under Technology 1 to 1 / Technology Honor Code. E. Financial responsibility Total replacement cost for the laptop is approximately $1000. You have a financial stake in the computer. It is your responsibility to insure the laptop against theft, loss, or damage on your homeowner s/renter s insurance policy or pay all costs out of your own pocket. The computer s serial number and model number will be required by your insurance company and are available anytime by calling the school office. The cost of regular support and maintenance is included in your lease fee. F. If laptop is lost, stolen, or damaged If a laptop is lost, stolen, or damaged, please notify the school immediately on the next school day. If laptop is lost or stolen, you must contact your insurance company to make a claim and get the laptop replaced. Unity will get you a replacement laptop as soon as your insurance company releases the funds. Unity Christian will repair a damaged laptop; however, the cost of the repair must be paid through your insurance company. G. Monitoring and supervision The laptop should be used in a location where use can be monitored and supervised by a parent. Unsupervised use is strongly discouraged, e.g. use in a child s bedroom. The student assigned the laptop is responsible for all use of their laptop. Students should not allow other students to borrow their laptop. Special software has been installed on the computer which allows the school to monitor use, time spent on applications, and websites visited. H. Internet access at home Students are allowed to access the Internet away from school using any wireless connection. The laptop s browsers are configured to use Internet filtering whether accessing the Internet from home or from the classroom. Internet filtering not only restricts access to unacceptable sites, but also restricts access to social networking, games, and video as set by school or parent request. While Internet filters provide an important level of protection, no filter program provides 100% protection. Monitoring and supervision are still very important. I. Printing at home Students are allowed to print to a home printer. For most USB printers, printer software already exists on the laptop and only requires setting up the printer. If additional printer drivers are required, please ask at the Tech Support Office. J. Personalization Students are allowed to personalize their laptop with vinyl skins and covers. All laptop decorations must reflect Christ's lordship over every area of our lives and should build up the body individually and corporately as Christ's messengers in and to the world. Any decorations that do not follow these standards will be removed. All applications must be non-permanent and leave no residue upon removal. A list of online stores with hundreds of options is located on the Unity web site under Technology 1 to 1 / Personalization. Page 5